People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.
Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."
Church Regulations Changes
The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."
